Festival celebrating Oxford will be ‘a dream come true’

THE organisers of a new three-day festival in Oxford’s South Park have vowed to keep things local by partnering with city businesses, charities, community groups and artists.

OxfordOxford will take place from September 26 to 28 and will feature separate days of music, film and community events.

As reported yesterday, the festival was officially launched by organisers Eleven11 Events at East Oxford’s Ultimate Picture Palace on Thursday.

Former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes, from Wheatley, and Oxford bands Pixel Fix and Dance a la Plage, electro-folk act Tunng and Movement Records artists Christian Gregory and Celeste will perform at the event.

A headliner, not believed to be from Oxford, and two further support bands have yet to be announced. There will also be screenings of Tim Burton’s movie Alice in Wonderland, based on the work of Oxford writer Lewis Carroll, and a sing-along version of Grease.

Entertainment will be held under canvass in a circus-style big top.

The company’s director Owen Kent also unveiled a raft of partnerships with local groups and businesses including independent coffee shop Missing Bean, and G&D’s Ice Cream, who will be developing a special flavour.

The official festival charity will be Oxfam, with funds also going to the Oxford Preservation Trust.

Among local groups to sign up for community activities so far are Dancin’ Oxford and the Museum of Oxford.

He said the festival was the realisation of a long-term vision. He said: “After 18 months of planning, we are thrilled to be announcing the initial elements of the programme.

“Being able to celebrate the city through film, music and fantastic community activities is testament to Oxford’s cultural pedigree.”

He added: “When I was a student I always used to say to friends it would be great to do something in South Park. This is a dream come true. I never thought it would happen.”

His business partner Anthony Norris said: “The ethos of OxfordOxford is a celebration of the city.”

The team behind Eleven11 Events has previously been involved in the Glastonbury, Isle of Wight and Reading festivals, Live 8 and the London 2012 Olympic Park Spectator Experience programme.

Tickets will range from £16.75 (£6.25 concs) for Friday’s cinema events to £32.50 for Saturday’s day of music. Sunday’s events will be free. People living within the OX postcode area will be entitled to discounted weekend tickets costing £43.25. Capacity ranges from 2,500 people for the film events to 10,000 for the other days.

Lord Mayor of Oxford, Dee Sinclair, welcomed the plans and praised the organisers. She said: “We want to deliver world-class services for everyone and this is just the sort of thing we want to support.”

Local groups, businesses or organisations keen to get involved can contact Eleven11 Events at oxfordoxford.co.uk

Agree with Dilligaf2010 ! Seems Oxford's Labour Party has become blinded by neo-classic New Labour morals and principles (an oxymoron?) trying to make the City into some sort of 'world class disneyland' of tourism, and turning City Council into some sort of all-enveloping socialist lifeboat, in a sea of blue Tory capitalism, with Labour now firmly at the helm of control with 33 out of the 48 City Wards at the good ship Town Hall - well, until Cllr 'Robin Hood' Price either flogs it off, or admits City Council and its Councillors have become a quasi-management agency and property corporation, perhaps with a desire to go to the stock market - having already gone to the cattle market to redevelop Westgate! Rock-on Cap'n Bob - not to be confused with that other 'Cap'n Bob' who was also a Labour politician, lived at Headington Hall, and had great aspirations - though don't think even Maxwell dreamed of world-class public toilets at Gloucester Green bus station, and probably never imagined his publishing empire, once based in Oxford's most exclusive and costly council house would one day become an academic factory to rival that of Oxford's historic seat of learning - or can that now be found in the new loos by the Covered Market, with its books of designer toilet paper?

Agree with Dilligaf2010 ! Seems Oxford's Labour Party has become blinded by neo-classic New Labour morals and principles (an oxymoron?) trying to make the City into some sort of 'world class disneyland' of tourism, and turning City Council into some sort of all-enveloping socialist lifeboat, in a sea of blue Tory capitalism, with Labour now firmly at the helm of control with 33 out of the 48 City Wards at the good ship Town Hall - well, until Cllr 'Robin Hood' Price either flogs it off, or admits City Council and its Councillors have become a quasi-management agency and property corporation, perhaps with a desire to go to the stock market - having already gone to the cattle market to redevelop Westgate! Rock-on Cap'n Bob - not to be confused with that other 'Cap'n Bob' who was also a Labour politician, lived at Headington Hall, and had great aspirations - though don't think even Maxwell dreamed of world-class public toilets at Gloucester Green bus station, and probably never imagined his publishing empire, once based in Oxford's most exclusive and costly council house would one day become an academic factory to rival that of Oxford's historic seat of learning - or can that now be found in the new loos by the Covered Market, with its books of designer toilet paper?Myron Blatz